Forever Charlotte
by ManiacalBliss
Summary: *I'll update this summary later, so it is will be way better than the crap I come up with in 5 seconds*
1. Preface

"Duck... move Charlotte, move!"

Sobbing, she manoeuvred her head under the wood of a collapsed shack. It proved to be good cover, as David crawled in after her and the huge mob wielding pitchforks and torches paraded past them.

She huddled in the corner, petrified, not able to understand why they were being chased. She didn't understand why she was cramped in this dark, scary hellhole of a place. The wood creaked slightly and dripped, and the brisk wind gusted in, causing her to shiver more violently. She had never been able to comprehend why everyone wanted her, and her Davie, dead.

Charlotte jerked at the thought of losing David. He was all she had left… everything. Hot salty tears rolled down her dirt-smeared face. The fact that she hadn't eaten in four days, and the fact that she hadn't cleaned herself in months didn't register in her mind. She was concerned about Davie, and she was concerned if whether or not they were going to live through this night. They had been on the run for so long.

As soon as David had made sure nobody had seen them, and that the coast was clear, he dove into the corner with her, wrapping his loving arms around her. She shook even harder as silent sobs escaped her, and she buried her face in his chest.

"Shh, shh, Charlotte… I'm here," He murmured in her ear as he stroked her messy unkempt hair. "Shh, it's okay."

He looked down at her leg, eyes suddenly wide. She looked down herself to see a huge gash from where a priest had swung a pitchfork at her. She hadn't even realized it was there until David himself noticed. She hissed as stinging registered in her head.

Pulling a roll of bandage he had stolen from someone's bathroom cupboard, he began to wrap it around her wound gently, barely causing anymore pain than there already was. He wrapped it tight though –if she had been at the hospital, she would've required stitches. It was a deep long gash, and her blood trickled everywhere.

"Davie…" She whimpered. He kissed her forehead softly, hugging her closer to him.

"Davie, will we have to hide forever?"

His young, muddied face twisted. Pain was evident in his murky green eyes as he looked over her. He saw the form of a little girl, with dark brown hair and the bluest eyes imaginable. They almost glowed in the dark. David had once teased her about her eyes, saying he'd seen blind men with almost the same intensity of eye colour as her.

This put a momentary smile on her face, until her concentration focused back in on David.

He gulped, and tried to loosen his face, most likely for her benefit. He picked up a lock of her hair, and twirled it around his fingers.

He sighed, almost as if he were about to breakdown. "I don't know Char, I don't know…" He muttered almost absentmindedly… either that or hopelessly. She wished it wasn't the latter.

His expression brightened suddenly though, but not in a good way. He was almost livid. "But I do know that that was a close one, and you will never move out of my sights again, do you understand?"

She sobered slightly and nodded, remembering other times like these, when they had almost been killed. Or she, rather, had almost gotten them killed. She was more of a burden than anything, she knew, to her Davie. He was very protective of her, and she knew it burned him alive inside to think of her being hurt. She had picked this important piece of knowledge up during the many months they had been running. She had had to learn things fast, even though she kind of knew she shouldn't be this perceptive and knowledgeable at age five. She certainly knew David shouldn't be charged with protecting her, another human being besides himself, at age seven either. Rather, _he_ should be the one being looked after.

She relaxed her head on his chest more, listening to the calming sound of his soft heartbeat. He sighed in satisfaction at this accomplishment.

"Davie, I love you…" She mumbled, losing the fight with her drooping eyelids. She felt him squeeze her gently, his arms still wrapped securely around her, as she began to drift.

"I love you too, Charlotte."


	2. Chapter 1: Embarrassing Encounters

**Chapter 1: **Embarrassing Encounters

"Hurry up! We have to get going soon," My sister yelled up the stairs, trying to get me to hustle. I sighed, not bothering. We had so much longer to get ready until we had to go… she just wanted to get there early so she could flirt with boys.

Continuing to brush my hair, there was a rare silent moment until I heard Drew run up the stairs and bound into my room. There was a frown set on her young, pretty fair face.

"Amelia, _come on!_" She moaned, stomping over to where I sat in front of my vanity mirror. "You are literally drop-dead gorgeous, so please just let us go now!"

I smiled at the compliment. It was rare coming from Drew, so I knew she was not just saying it.

"Thank you Drew, but you know we still have a half hour to go before we even have to think about leaving."

"Ugh," She groaned, frustrated. This made me smile further. It was always so fun to tease Drew.

I reached up to fix a golden curl that had fallen out of place from a clip. I was always so jealous of how she got the pretty golden locks and I had gotten the plain red-brown hair. She had a few stray golden curls in the front while she tied or pinned back the rest. I merely had a few loose curls in the front, bangs tucked to the side to blend in, and the rest was straight and very long –almost to my waist. It was much more boring than my sister's, but my dad had always denied this and said he liked my long hair.

She huffed, but then sighed, closing her eyes in defeat.

"Okay… well at least let me help you," She took my arm gently, and pulled me up. We walked to the mirror where I looked myself up and down. I liked this dress –it was an elegant floor length dark blue dress with sleeves, and was almost too showy. I was convinced not too many people would notice though… Drew tightened up the corset part at the back. I turned around after, brushing the fabric smooth.

"What do you think?"

I could tell Drew was impatient as she answered, but I didn't quicken my movements any.

"You look spectacular." I looked her over as she said this. Her dress was red, with a corseted part in the front… and, of course, she was busting out of her dress. I sighed. I wasn't _that_ bad, but it was just shameful how much she was showing. I tried to hike up the front part of her dress, failing quite miserably.

"Drew, are you seriously going to wear that dress? You look like a five cent whore,"

Her eyes widened, her mouth forming the shape of a O. We joked around with each other like that all the time, so I knew it wasn't the insult that took her by surprise.

"I thought that this was a very appropriate dress,"

I raised an eyebrow.

"You know, Father is not going to let you out of the house like that."

Her delicate pink lips formed a pout, and I laughed, walking over to my closet. I pulled out a black shawl, and draped it over her shoulders.

"Here –this will due. It covers you better than that dress ever will,"

She seemed sheepish as she let her head droop.

"Okay… well can we leave now?"

I gave her a sceptical look, placing my hands on my hips.

"Are we anxious to court Mr. Thomas?"

She blushed violently, her expression souring. She grabbed my hand.

"All right Amelia, let's get going already."

We ran down the grand white staircase and its elegant spindles, and into the parlour where our father was sitting, quietly reading a book. He looked up and smiled as he heard us tromp down the stairs in our high heels.

"Off to our social gathering I see?" He looked us over as he said this. He had a broad smile on his face as he looked at his daughters.

"You two look dazzling. You are sure to woo a few men tonight, aren't you ladies?"

Drew nodded anxiously, and I had a big smile on my face. I was sure to see a few acquaintances that I had met going into town earlier. Father suddenly buried his face in the book he was reading again, and I didn't know why until it happened. Suddenly mother glided into the room, her manner not in the least bit happy. How my father had intuitive knowledge that mother was about to enter the room was beyond me. Maybe he had a keen sense for feeling aggravation.

She attempted to put a smile on her face though.

"Good evening girls! Are we off to the ball?" Drew and I nodded, and I walked up to mother and gave her a hug. She seemed to melt in my arms –I felt a ton of stress melt off her slight form. She was the kind of person to always be worried about something, therefore anxiety, and thereon, bad moods. I could always tolerate her moods better than anyone else could, and I was usually the one to talk her out of her moods. The whole family admired me and thanked me for this.

Mother looked me over, and smiled approvingly. "You look wonderful this evening, Amelia," A little blush came to my cheeks as she said it. Then she looked at Drew, and her expression slackened. Her eyes looked disapproving as she looked over my sister.

"You could use a better dress, Drew." I had been surprised that this slipped father's attention as well. Drew held her head high as she looked at mother.

"This dress will have to do. It's the only appropriate one that isn't dirty,"

Mother sighed, and walked over to Drew. She tied the shawl in a knot around Drew's rather exposed chest, frowning.

"I guess this will have to do. Whatever you do Drew, do not take this shawl off. The boys will be all over you even if you don't show yourself off."

I giggled, and Drew shot me a glare of death. But just before I thought I would have my head ripped off, a servant ran in. Saved by the servant.

"Ladies, your carriage awaits."

Drew squealed, extremely excited, and completely forgot about my apparent misbehaviour. I smiled, actually getting excited myself, until my mother stopped me.

She grabbed me by the arm lightly, looking me in the eyes seriously.

"Now, Amelia, before you leave," I sighed, closing my eyes. I knew what was coming.

"I would just like to remind you of your age, and what comes with being this age,"

I nodded, embarrassed and dismayed.

"Please try to find a suitable man soon. I know men don't particularly interest you still, but please Amelia. We need to find you a husband and marry you off so you are assured a safe and secure life."

I nodded once more, blushing vigorously. My cheeks must have been the colour of Drew's dress by the time I kissed my mother on the cheek good bye. After that, I quickly ran back into the parlour to wish my father goodbye. He stood up to give me a hug.

"Don't worry about your mother's words. You still have plenty of time to find a good man –so don't go all willy-nilly and pick a man that is not good for you."

I smiled and hugged my father tighter. He always knew what to say to me.

"Hurry up Ms. Weathers! The carriage is due to leave soon, and your sister is not too keen on waiting any longer either," The servant ushered me out the doors, and to the carriage where Drew was impatiently waiting.

"That took you long enough," She mumbled as I sat across from her in the carriage. I merely rolled my eyes.

And then we were off down the bumpy gravel road towards town. And Drew began to talk a storm; mainly about the boys we were going to meet there. She was always excited by the prospect of boys, because really we had only our father and our brother Benjamin to know what boys were like. We were raised and taught at our estate, and rarely left for town. Tonight was big for us to be going out to such an event.

She was at an age, I suspected as well. She had just turned sixteen, and she thought she was ready to face the world. Mother sparked her interest in boys, I guessed, when we went out on a trip to town and saw some handsome boys walking down the street. I sighed. Why did we need men again? I already had the two men that made me happy.

I found I couldn't concentrate on Drew's words like I normally would have. I would actually be the one talking over _her_, and talking more than she was, because _I_ was the chatterbox of the family. But right now all I could think about was my mother's worry over me getting married. I was only eighteen for heaven's sake –I still had plenty of time to find a man. My whole life I hadn't been that interested in boys. I only knew and loved my baby brother Benjamin and my father. Benji was thirteen, and very quiet. He was so sweet though, and would listen to me talk for hours.

I merely said to people who found my lack of interest in boys alarming, that I had had time to focus on other, more important things like hobbies and schooling. I considered myself well educated, and on top of that I loved reading, playing the piano and other instruments, and drawing. These were the fine points of my life, besides talking. And I absolutely loved going into the city to meet people, boy and girls alike, but not to find any romance. I just loved socializing –it was a strong suit of mine.

Rain started pouring, and this brought me back to reality as my eyes glanced out the tiny window of the carriage.

"… Amy, have you been listening to anything that I have been saying?" Drew interjected, her tone clearly annoyed. My eyes flashed to her, and I nodded, smiling.

She still appeared sceptical.

"What did I just say then?"

Well, that wasn't too hard to figure out.

"You were saying that Mr. Thomas seems like a good match for you, and you hope that he talks to you tonight," She blushed slightly, smiling, and nodded.

How did I ever guess?

"Well, with that dress Drew, I think it's a sure fire thing that he will talk to you."

She laughed, almost hysterically since she was clearly nervous.

"All right ladies, we are here," The carriage driver yelled. The carriage slowed to a stop, and I heard the rain pour down even harder against the wood of the buggy we were in. I pursed my lips –how exactly were we going to get out of here without getting wet and ruining our hair? It was perfectly sunny before we left, so I didn't know if the carriage driver had brought an umbrella along with him.

Suddenly the door opened, and I saw a man finely dressed, with fairly long copper locks framing his thin face. He smiled at us with chocolate brown eyes, and I had to steady my sister beside me as he looked in at us. I smiled back at him.

"Well hello there, Mr. Thomas!" I said in a bubbly voice, which made him smile more. Drew was swooning.

"Please ladies, call me Will." He held out a hand, which Drew immediately took. In the other hand he held an umbrella. Both Drew and I scooted out of the carriage, holding up our dresses as we stepped out onto the cobbled street of Fairhaven. Drew huddled in close to him and me even closer into Drew as we ran for the door of the Grand Hall. We barely fit under that one umbrella, but we had all made it into the building without a drop of water on us to account for. I shook his free hand thankfully.

"I was wondering how on earth we were going to get in here and not ruin our outfits."

He nodded charmingly at my words, and winked.

"It was a lucky coincidence that I was there to accommodate you ladies wasn't it?"

Drew nodded, and a natural blush spread on her cheeks as she stared adoringly at Will. I shoved my elbow into her side, making her look at me. It was so apparent she was goo-goo over this boy; it was almost painful to watch. She might scare him off if he happened to notice it.

All of a sudden, I was slammed into as someone's arms wrapped around my waist. Taken by surprise, and the wind knocked out of me, I turned around to see Sarah Michaels squealing in delight. My eyes widened, and we both jumped up and down in place, huge smiled on our faces. We were making the loudest, girlish noises as we reunited. Sarah and I hadn't seen each other since last summer, but it was a summer we both obviously hadn't forgotten. We also wrote to each other all the time, so our reunion was that much sweeter.

She took my hands, a huge grin on her face as well as on mine.

"I'm so happy to see you Mel! It's been too long… remind me again why you don't get out much?"

Sarah was just as much a mouthpiece as I was, and just as hyper. We literally exploded when we saw each other. She hadn't changed as much as I expected she would, appearance wise, since the last time I had seen her. She still had the long, layered dark hair, the same fair white face, and was exactly the same height as the last time. She was two inches taller than I was, and this I remembered only because I was always jealous of it. I hadn't grown any taller, and I knew I never would. I was five feet five inches without heels on. She was just as beautiful as the last time I had seen her. And she said I was way more beautiful since the last time we had seen each other.

This made me blush and giggle as we burst out into conversation.

Will and Drew had faded into the background of conversation, though they were standing next to us, forming a circle. Will seemed a little intimidated by how much Sarah and I were talking, and Drew just stood there nervously, looking up at Will hopefully every once in awhile. This made me feel horrible, but what could I say. I was a talk-a-holic, but there wasn't much I could say to Drew until Sarah and Will left our presence.

Sarah and I chatted for three quarters of the hour while more and more people started to file in. By that time I could tell she was antsy to meet other people, so I let her go, giving her a hug. I promised I would see and talk to her more later. Drew seemed relieved some that I was finally free to talk to. She shifted nervously from foot to foot, and was probably in need of a chair to sit down. Will seemed mostly at ease, his eyes focused on me. I took no notice of it however, too much running through my mind. As I guided Drew over to a chair against the wall, all I could think about was how I wanted to continue to talk to Sarah again, and how much I wanted to see other acquaintances and meet new people. This was a rare occasion that I got out, so I wanted to live it up as much as possible.

Violins had started to play a while ago, and actual dance music was starting up. We stood there, Drew sitting, for a couple awkward minutes before I finally spoke up.

I set my hand on Will's shoulder to get his attention. He was staring aimlessly off into the crowd, so I thought I would set him free until I pep talked my sister.

"Will, why don't you mingle with the others here? I'd feel bad if we stole you away all night."

He seemed a little surprised at first, but then he smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you two later,"

Drew smiled dreamily at his voice until he faded into the crowd of people. I sighed, taking her shoulders and looked her square in the eyes.

"Why aren't you talking Drew? I thought you wanted to talk to Mr. Thomas?"

She huffed, her face troubled while her eyes were smitten.

"I don't know Mel… it seems so hard to talk to him! I really want to, but when I try I just can't. I've basically been waiting for him to talk to me this whole time," She admitted, her voice disgraced.

I pursed my lips.

"Well I guess I will have to help acquaint you two better. Don't worry dear; your sister will always be there to help,"

She smiled at my words, but I could tell she was very troubled on the inside. This was a prime example why not to waste your time over boys. It just causes so much stress.

I tapped her shoulder, something suddenly catching my attention. An idea dawned on me.

"Drew, I have an idea," I nodded in the direction of three boys standing on the opposite wall from us, all ogling Drew. Why not factor jealousy in? I was sure that if Will saw Drew dancing and having a good time with other men that he would be even more interested in her. It was always a popular theme in romance books, so why wouldn't it work in this situation?

After a minute she noticed what exactly I had tried to point out to her, and she immediately turned her head towards me: partially in embarrassment, and partially in glee was her mood. She liked being stared at, but was ill at ease when three handsome men were staring at her.

"Amelia, they are gawking at me!" She squealed, her voice worried.

I nodded.

"I know, and we are going to use this to our advantage. Mr. Thomas is sure to be jealous if he sees you having fun with other boys. I am sure if he sees you like that he will want you even more and ask you to dance even. Then comes the fun part of getting to know him,"

Her eyes brightened, and she beamed at me.

"Okay Mel. So what do I do?"

I pulled her up off the chair, and whispered in her ear.

"Go out into the middle of the dance floor, and look around aimlessly. One of them is bound to come up to you. Remain cool and collected –and don't hold back if they ask you questions about yourself. Be yourself, and they will most likely cling to you more."

She nodded, and gave me a huge hug.

"Thank you, Mel!" She squealed, and restrained herself as she did a half-run towards the dance floor. I sat down myself after I saw her reach the middle of the dance floor.

It didn't take long before one man with ebony black hair walked up to Drew, and asked her to dance. She remained calm as I watched her accept his offer, and he took her hands. She was really showing how much composure she could muster, and I was a very proud sister at that moment.

I sighed and closed my eyes, taking a momentary break, but then reopened my eyes quickly. I always needed to be watching Drew. Slapping myself on the cheek, though not full force, I woke myself slightly. I shouldn't be this tired already. I still had so much longer to be here.

I went to slap myself again, but a hand reached down and caught my wrist before I could. I looked up in shock to find that the hand that had stopped me was attached to the body of Will. My eyes widened.

"Why would you want to damage that pretty little face of yours dear?" He murmured, his eyes sparkling due to the reflections of candles all around us.

I shuddered slightly as he called me 'pretty', and pulled my hand away gently. I smiled.

"Oh I am just tired, is all; I needed to wake myself up." I stretched my arms up and out, yawning as I did so.

I wanted to get his attention on Drew. I felt increasingly uncomfortable in his presence alone every second more I was there.

"Umm, have you seen my sister anywhere?"

He nodded.

"You mean that girl that came with you here, right? She's really your sister? You two don't look anything alike,"

I didn't want an explanation for why he thought this –I just wanted him to find her so I could escape. I had never felt so uncomfortable with anyone in my life.

"Yes, I saw her –she seemed to be having a good time with a man she was dancing with."

My heart dropped slightly –did he not care at all, and was my plan backfiring?

"Why don't you go ask her to dance? I'm sure she would enjoy your company as well,"

He shook his head slowly. I wanted to slap my forehead –he wasn't getting the hint.

"She's not free at the moment… may I ask you to dance?"

I had been looking away from him, trying to find Drew, but my eyes shot back up to his face in surprise as he asked me this.

"Sorry Will… I don't dance,"

He snickered, a sly smile on his face.

"Then why did you come to a dance?"

I almost started to stutter. I was losing my grip on this situation –I didn't know what to do.

Suddenly Drew walked up beside me, and I took a deep breath. Saved by Drew.

"Uhh, Drew? I need to step outside for a minute; I'm not feeling all that great."

Her brows furrowed, and she touched my arm lightly in concern.

"Do you need me to come with you?" I shook my head vigorously, blood rising to my face. I suddenly felt really hot, and it either felt like I was going to throw up or pass out.

"No, you stay here and have a good time. I just need some fresh air, and I'll be back in, in a minute."

She nodded, kissing me on the cheek before I left. I glanced behind me as I walked towards the general direction of the doors we had come through before. Drew was looking up at Will, expectant. It appeared like his lips moved, so obviously he was talking to her. I sighed in relief, but due to a disturbance in my stomach, I ran to the door even faster.

"Amelia Weathers, are you all right? You look deathly pale!" I heard some people call from the crowd, but I could not stop to look back at them.

I pushed open the wooden doors, and slammed them behind me, only to run to a nearby hedge, get on my knees and make the most hideous sounds as I vomited everywhere.


	3. Chapter 2: Wolfy

**Chapter 2**: Wolfy

Sitting up, I wiped my mouth off, and then stood up. I didn't know how I had gotten sick, but I felt a lot better after that. I smoothed my dress out and wiped off any unwanted mud and grass. Soon after I walked to a nearby bench, sat down and crossed my legs. I let a cool breeze run through my hair and over my face. It was refreshing and made me feel a whole lot better. I was also very thankful that it had stopped raining –it would have been very bad to have come out here, thrown up everywhere, and also be doused in icy cold water. I would definitely catch a cold then.

Suddenly, without warning, a little reddish black fox ran out from the darkness. It was a red fox, very rare here, to be specific. And to my bliss, it was my little fox. My little wolfy! I smiled brightly, my mood improving drastically.

I patted the empty seat beside me, and it panted for a moment, looking at me, before it jumped up beside me and curled into a tiny ball. Its dark shiny eyes were focused on only me as, in my head, I jumped for joy.

"Hello, my little wolfy," I exclaimed loudly. It made a little whiny noise and raised its head up for a mere second to lick me on the hand. It tickled, and I giggled like a schoolgirl.

This fox had visited me ever since I could remember. When I was little, I remembering it being such an adorable pup. It hadn't grown much bigger at all since then, but it was still just as adorable. It was my friend that came to visit me from time to time, and it usually cheered me right up when I was feeling down. Today was no exception.

I stroked the soft fur of its ears, and smiled.

"I've been feeling sick lately bud and I don't know why. Do you?"

I had always thought that this little creature had the most intelligent eyes, and I almost believed it knew what I was saying. It looked sorry for me, and this made me smile wider.

"I haven't seen you in a long time! You should visit more often, 'cause I miss you."

To any passer-by it would look like I was talking to air. Wolfy was tucked right into my side, and almost looked like a fur purse.

"I've learned to do so many things since the last time we met! But I've also been struggling with my mother's want to get me a husband. That's my biggest issue right now… and what about you? Do you only find me when you need food," I muttered teasingly, and it sniffed loudly, almost in protest. I laughed.

Honestly, sometimes I wished this fox was human so it could be my husband. He certainly listened better than any other man out there would have.

"Well sorry squirt, I have nothing on me right now. If you actually stayed with me sometimes, I might be able to get you food."

"Amelia?" Someone called from the darkness. My heart froze for a second, and then skipped a beat when I saw Will emerge from the shadows.

"Whom are you talking to, dear?"

I looked to my side, and to my sadness, little Wolfy was gone. He had literally disappeared into thin air –I hadn't felt him move when he left.

I looked back to Will, who was now standing in front of me… and a little too close if I may say so myself…

"Umm …no one. Why are you here?"

He shrugged.

"I came out to see if you were all right. With all that talking to yourself, I'd say you're not better yet."

I rolled my eyes, and began to stand up, feigning a good mood.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny…" But I was cut off as he knelt down on one knee, and looked up into my eyes. My mind began racing. What was he doing?

"Amelia Weathers, will you give me the honour of having your hand in marriage?"

My eyes widened and I gasped.

"Amy? Amy, are you okay?"

My heart quickened as I heard Drew's voice close by. I tried to yank my hand away, quite forcefully at that, but he wouldn't let go. He kept looking up into my eyes, waiting for an answer as I desperately tried to get away.

All too soon, Drew emerged from the darkness. And I felt horrible and disgusting as her face twisted in pain and betrayal. I had panicked because I knew if she saw this, that it would crush her tiny heart. And I was right. Tears rolled down her face as she ran back into the black, and back into the ball.

I looked back at him with angry eyes. I slapped him with my free hand, and he recoiled slightly, not expecting that reaction.

"How dare you do that to my sister! Do you realize what you've just done? You've broken her heart you idiotic, moron of a man!"

Oh, but I forgot. All men were like this. It was very hard to meet a man, and not have your heart broken one way or the other.

His expression was stoic as he spoke.

"And you are breaking my heart Amelia. Have you had any idea how long I've been in love with you?"

I stared at him blatantly.

"A couple of hours?"

He shook his head, his expression shocked almost.

"I've loved you since the first time I met you –last summer. You are so beautiful, elegant, and friendly! You are an amazing, sweet person, and-"

I cut him off quickly.

"But my sister is in love with you! I am not. I barely know you, and I don't know or understand how you think you know me. Therefore, the answer is no, I will not marry you and never will. I could never hurt my sister like that, so now please excuse me while I fix the damage you've done-"

Suddenly it was his turn to cut me off. He grabbed me roughly around the waist and pulled me into him as he kissed me forcefully. I tried pulling away, with all my strength, screaming as I did so. But nothing worked –his fishy lips muffled my screams, and soon he violently shoved me against the cold damp bench behind me. I felt him try to pull down his pants, but before he could, he all of a sudden disappeared off of me.

I saw a flash of colour and screaming. It was Will –my eyes widened in shock. What had happened?

I was frozen in place for a few moments while my mind tried to process what just happened. Then I shivered, frightened, and stood up slowly. My eyes, miraculously, focused in on something in the dark. I had always been able to see things really clearly in the dark, but not as clearly as I was seeing things right now. I saw shapes, almost pinpoint details perfectly. Maybe it was the adrenaline.

Will was under someone, someone who was beating him repeatedly in the face. The person on top of him was raining blows onto his face, and I would be surprised if Will wasn't dead already.

As I slowly crept closer, the person stopped, and looked up at me. It was a man, and he was a few feet away from me. All I could see in the blackness was dark auburn hair. Pale white skin glistened in the minimal light provided. I began walking towards them again, and the man just stared at me, his features concealed by darkness.

The click clack of my shoes stopped as I knelt down beside the man and Will on the murky cobble street. The mysterious man continued to watch me.

A blush crept onto my face suddenly. This man had just saved me a great deal of suffering. He maybe even saved my life, and I didn't even know who he was. I placed my hand on his shoulder lightly. I felt him flinch slightly under my touch. His shoulder was bare, and dripping wet. This concerned me, but I looked as best I could into the direction of his face. I could only tell where that was because of his eyes.

"Thank you… thank you so much. You just saved me a great deal of pain. If there is anything I can do for-"

Suddenly he stood up, bringing me with him. His muscular, strong arms wrapped around me, and he hugged me tightly into him, his whole torso unclothed and wet. I froze up, feeling his sinewy muscles as he embraced me closely. But for some reason, I felt safe.

I felt a light, cool touch on my forehead before he disappeared. And I looked down on Will's horribly battered body. From what I could tell, he was unconscious, and barely breathing.

I sighed, not wanting to be in this position after what he tried to do to me. I knelt down and poked him.

"Will?"

No response. I poked him once more, got no response, so I stood up again, and slowly began walking towards the ball. I needed to get him help… I guessed. Many things were racing through my mind at the moment, so this seemed like the most appropriate action.

How was Drew, for one thing? I felt horrible that she had seen that, and I knew it would take hard time and effort to regain her trust. What would she think when she saw Will, all bloody, beaten up and sprawled out on the ground?

And on that note, who was the man who had saved me, and why had he given me a hug? He hadn't spoken one word to me.

Well I would never find out now. He was gone, and I certainly knew he was nobody that I knew. I had never seen such deep green eyes in my life… it was unreal. I think I would've remembered someone like that.

I sighed as I pushed open the doors of the grand hall. Everyone's eyes locked on me, and this was not such a great thing for once. Great. The drama was all mine tonight.

The carriage bounced up and down across the gravel, rocks and mud on our way home. Drew had peacefully fallen asleep in my lap, and I knew the poor girl deserved it. She had her head nuzzled into the crook of my neck, and I held her steady in my arms as the carriage jostled us all the way home.

I had successfully coaxed her out of private quarters at the grand hall after almost an hour of hard work. I had to explain the situation to her a couple times, so basically everyone that attended knew everything by the time the night was up.

She had really wanted to know who saved me, and I wanted to know even more than her, but I didn't see the point in sleuthing around to try and find out. I wouldn't find anything.

Will had immediate medical attention after I had found a doctor in the room and bustled him outside. After that I went back in to make Drew feel better, so I guess I would talk to Sarah about it later.

I sighed. The night hadn't gone nearly as well as I thought it would.

When I told that to Drew, she had laughed and said the same thing. She said the only upside was when she was trying to make Will jealous, she had met two very nice men that had been eyeing her that night. She got both their addresses, so she would be writing to them shortly, and possibly setting up more visits if it was okay with mother and father.

Laughing lightly, I took a lock of her soft curly hair and twirled it in my fingers. Drew had been trying so vainly to stay awake during the ride home it was almost agonizing to watch. She wanted to talk more about our night, wanted to talk more about the mystery man, and she felt especially sorry because she distrusted me for and hour and a half. She had her times when she was sweet, and this was one of them.

As we arrived at the house, and the cab driver opened the door for us, I picked up Drew and walked out into the faint, cool sunlight. Mother, always up at the crack of dawn, came out to greet us. She had a big smile on her face until she saw Drew, limp in my arms.

"Drucilla Holly Weathers! What happened to her?"

She was hideously furious and concerned at the same time. I didn't snicker at Drew's full name as I normally would have, and shook my head.

"She's just really tired from dancing with boys all afternoon."

Mother continued running down the walkway until she collided with us, giving us both an enormous bear hug. Drew woke up at this, blinking rapidly, her eyes confused. She looked around her once, and seeing her surroundings was enough to relax her. We were home. She rested her head once more, and looked up at me, smiling sleepily.

She brought one hand to my face, brushing my cheek softly.

"Thank you Amy. I couldn't have asked for a better sister,"

Tears almost brimmed at my eyes as she said this, and I restrained a huge grin. Our mother took my elbow, and began leading me toward the door.

"We better get you two into bed as soon as possible. I expect you to be up at least by two this afternoon for tea. We need to have another little family meeting."

I nodded, knowing it was important. It was important even if we were talking about improving tiny things, so I never minded them. I hoped that it wasn't a particularly serious subject we would be talking about though.

Mother bustled us up to our bedrooms, and promptly after I had undressed, put on a nightgown, and washed my face I fell asleep in bed, especially comfortable. It didn't take as much effort to fall asleep today –I'd been up all night, and had not gotten one wink of sleep. I deserved this sleep as much as Drew did. My eyes closed, and soon as they had, I was drifting.

_I woke up, pushing myself up from the gritty ground. I looked around, brushing dirt off my cheek, wondering where I was. It appeared I was in some crawl space. It appeared to be more like a little shed that had collapsed in, and I realized I was way too big to be sitting in here. I had to lower my head and back to avoid pieces of wood that had splintered and fallen in. I saw a little exit, possibly big enough for me to squeeze out of, and poked my head out. _

_It was a fog covered cobbled street, and across from me were a bank, and a few other buildings. It looked much like Fairhaven, but I knew it wasn't. It had a more ominous feel to it… I began to crawl out, ready to take an adventure, until I saw him. There was the man that had saved me. I was sure it was him as I stared at him, across the street facing a crowd of people. The people didn't appear to be too happy, and were yelling and talking in angry voices to the man. He had a shock of hair almost the same colour of auburn as mine, but his was darker. His hair, not too long, not too short, framed his face that was blocked out with shadows. He had a ripped, torn shirt on, and his slacks were not in that great shape either. I could tell by muscle tone that it was he, even. _

"_You have to understand –we're not here to hurt anyone! Please let us be on our way, we will never come back, I swear it." _

"_Who, on God's holy earth, would take a monster's oath? We need to destroy you, to keep everyone else safe, everywhere if not only here. You are an abomination." _

_Even though his features were shrouded, I saw his eyes widen. He turned to look at me, and I froze in place. Then he bolted. He ran to me at a deathly sprint, and grabbed my wrist. He pulled me along beside him, and without any resistance I tried to keep pace as I looked behind us, a mob wielding pitchforks running after us. I couldn't scream –I was too out of breath. I was running faster than I ever had, and I could barely keep up. How was he that fast? _

_As he saw this, he tried to pick me up. But I tripped over something, probably a rock, or even my own two feet, and went rolling. I landed on my hands and knees in front of a puddle of water. _

"_Charlotte!" Someone screamed. The mob approached, faster and faster. But I could only look in the puddle, and the reflection that horrified me. _

_I looked back at a little girl, with pale white skin, sallow from malnutrition. She was thin and looked like walking death. She had the same hair as me, except more tangled and bedraggled than mine. And I couldn't look away from her horror struck eyes, one eye as blue as mine, one emerald green. The mob arrived at me now. I screamed. _

I woke up with a start, screaming at the top of my lungs, my arms reached out desperately above me for someone. My room was mostly dark, and the shades were not pulled over the window. The full moon glowed brightly through the window, moonlight spilling through the large window that reached the roof of my room.

My mother burst into my room a moment later, her eyes worried for the worst, and ran up to my bed. She threw her arms around me, now that I was sitting up, and hugged me tightly.

"Amelia, are you okay honey? What happened?"

Family members began to file into my room, all concerned looks on their faces. As soon as Benji appeared in the doorway, he ran up to my bed and got in, curling into me. He looked up with a smile on his small face, comforting me. I sighed, smiling, and closed my eyes. I wrapped my arms around him, warmth coming back to me. When I had woken up, I had been ice cold despite my warm blankets.

"It was just a bad dream I guess. Sorry for worrying you."

Everyone nodded, and breathed a sigh of relief. Drew blew me a kiss before walking back out into the hallway, and father nodded, smiling at the fact that I was safe. Mother and Benji were the only ones that stayed.

Mother stroked my hair, full of sweat. My entire face was flush.

"Well let's hope you have no more of theses dreams. You gave us all a fright,"

I nodded, smiling apologetically. Benji was already snuggled into me and falling asleep. Mother chuckled and smoothed his wild mess of hair. He had the exact same shade of hair as her –a lighter red auburn than my colour. I was pretty sure I was a variation between my mother's hair colour, red, and my father's hair colour, black. Mixed together, you got my colour, though my hair wasn't as dark as… that man's.

At that thought, I wondered what time it was, and if my mother knew everything that had happened.

"Mother, what time is it?"

She looked back at me, her eyes rueful.

"I'm sorry Amelia. We didn't wake you up because I knew you needed the sleep –Drew told me everything that happened last night. We're delaying the meeting till later this month. Your father and I were just going to tell you that we were leaving for a couple weeks soon."

I nodded, interested. I wouldn't pry into why though, that was for her to tell me if she wanted.

She kissed my forehead, and tucked Benji and me in. He was tranquilly asleep snuggled into me, and I sighed at the returning warmth to my body.

"Goodnight, my loves."

Soon thereafter, I floated into a deep sleep.

I felt a little hand shaking me, waking me from my deep slumber. It was nearly impossible to wake me after such a deep sleep, but somehow, Benji managed to do it.

He smiled at me brilliantly as I blinked, opening my eyes to blinding sunlight.

I covered my eyes.

"Ahh, Benji can you please close the drapes? My gosh," He laughed at me, and ran to close out the light. I sighed as the light dimmed, then diminished.

He jumped back on my bed, clearly full of energy.

"Mother and Father are gone Melly! They said they had to leave early, and were sorry, but they said we didn't have to be schooled as long as they were gone! They are giving us a break as well!" He shouted excitedly. I laughed, smiling as I sat up.

Benji was the type of kid who could not sit still for very long. He hated schooling because he was forced to sit there for hour after hour, doing deskwork or reading. We were way beyond the level we should be if we were at a public school, but mother and father wanted the best education for us. One day we might go on to higher education. Drew honestly did not see the point of being schooled because she said mother and father were rich, and we would not run out of money long after our parents died, and we died as well… which was true. But what else useful could I do with my time?

"Well, Benjamin, what would you like to do today?" He smiled giddily, and I anticipated the onslaught of what a thirteen-year-old boy wanted to do today. It most likely wouldn't be what I wanted to do: read and relax.

"I want to go hiking in the woods! Mother said I can only go if I go with either you or Drew," He looked up from under his thick, dark eyelashes, and I melted even though the appeal of hiking through the forest with one of my dresses wasn't all that strong. I pulled his body closer to me, and I hugged him. He squirmed a bit before he hugged me back.

"All right, we will go. Go get ready –put on clothes you know mother doesn't like anymore or that are already dirty!"

He nodded, a large smiling eclipsing his face, and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek before he bounced out of the room. I threw the covers off me, and peeled off my nightgown. It was literally plastered to me with sweat.

After a quick wash, and after I dried my hair off to an acceptable level, I put on the rattiest, shortest dress I could find because I knew I would be tangled up in a branch or something else by the end of the day. I wasn't allowed to have boys' slacks or anything like that, so this would have to do for this trip. It was an off white dress that came up to my knees: it was from when I was shorter, and I barely fit into it anymore. I put a coat over my busting chest; glad no one would be seeing me but my family. This would surely be a shameful dress to wear out in public.

Dashing down the stairs, I landed in the kitchen to see the maid had already packed us a basket for our trip. She was always thinking for us, and I smiled at how sweet she was. Benji must have been raving about it this morning, so she decided to pack us a lunch. I made a mental note to thank her for it later.

Benji barrelled into the kitchen at that moment, a little bag in his hands. He was wearing red baggy, torn slacks from a few years ago and a dress shirt that was either not acceptable anymore or had been previously stained.

He grabbed my hand, and pulled me through the house and out the back doors. There was a large, extensive forest behind us. Farther north and east there was marsh land, so we had to be careful we didn't wander too far. The trees were so large it was mesmerizing, and I loved to look out my window just to see the forest. I was sure if Father, Mother, Drew, Benji and I all linked our arms and wrapped ourselves around one of these tree trunks, we'd barely make it all the way around.

All of them weren't that huge though. Just most of them.

Benji held my hand tightly as we ventured into the vast expanse of the forest. I wondered what we would see here today.

After walking for what I estimated was at least two hours, we sat down in a tiny clearing, in between large roots of trees and where a little patch of sunlight shone through the dark foliage.

I sat in between two roots, leaned up against the tree trunk, eating a sandwich. After Benji had finally tired of looking at bugs, fungi, and looking in through the little crevices of trees and rocks for animals, he sat down in between my legs and leaned against me. I handed him a sandwich, which he took gladly and wolfed down.

I tousled his already messy hair.

"I have no idea where you get so much energy! Wait until you're an old fart like me, and see how you feel." He laughed almost hysterically.

"Eighteen is not that old Melly!" I rolled my eyes.

"Well just see how fast your energy runs out when you're my age."

He shook his head, still laughing.

"No, Mel, you're just lazy. I'm sure if you got out more that you would be as energetic as I am."

I laughed as well.

"Really, are you sure about that?"

I tickled him, and he laughed manically, jumping up from my lap. He started to run, and I ran after him, forgetting the basket in my haste. I hoped I remembered where it was later.

He quickly disappeared, but I could hear his laughter somewhere in behind these trees. I crept forward, trying not to make a noise; I was trying to catch Benji without the hassle of running after him and possibly tripping and twisting an ankle on one of these roots.

In my peripheral vision I saw a flash of red. Thinking it had been Benji, with his faded red pants, I turned quickly. I still made no sound, and crept a little bit closer, but instead my eyes landed on Wolfy. My face brightened, momentarily forgetting about Benji. Wolfy had come back so soon!

"Wolfy, help me find me brother," I whispered. It flinched and whimpered. There was hurt in its eyes –I could see it. I looked confusedly at him. What was wrong? Was he okay?

Suddenly Benji ran out from behind a tree, laughing loudly and giving away his position. I couldn't give it a second thought as I ran after Benji, but the fox ran behind me silently anyway. It kept perfect pace with me for what a small creature it was.

I ran as fast as I could, looking around vigilantly for Benji. But Benji's laughter had stopped. And moments later, screaming started.

My eyes widened, and I ran faster if that were possible. Benji came into sight all of a sudden, in a grass clearing. And in front of him, was a man wielding an axe. Benji had obviously bumped into him.

"Shh," I murmured to him, trying to calm him. He looked back at me, tears streaming down his face, and ran back to me. I was at the edge of the trees where the clearing started, and the axe man stood right in the middle, his head down. It was probably only a lumberjack that lived around here.

"Umm, my brother and I are sorry for disturbing you. We'll be on our way now,"

The man looked up all of a sudden, a menacing, and evil look in his eyes. His face was possessed.

He raised a bony, scraggly finger at us, his eyes furious.

"Abomination! The Devil's spawn! _You must all die!_"

My mouth hung wide as he came at us with an axe, and Benji screamed, his voice breaking. We had no place to escape. We were trapped.

Suddenly the fox jumped up, out of nowhere, and clamped its jaws down on the man's crotch. He screamed, and tried to punch the fox, flailing it left and right. I instinctively knew to run at this moment, and I picked Benji up in my arms, not looking back.

I ran as fast as I could, dodging roots as if I were in the army. I ducked under branches and jumped over fallen logs and branches. There was nothing that would get between me getting my brother to safety now.

After a few minutes of running, I heard real, torturous screams sound from where we had left the man and the fox. This confused me. Was the fox mauling that man to the point of death? I truly did not want to know the answer to this question.

When we finally reached the perimeter of the forest, and my house was in sight I sped up, laughing in relief. Benji had his head tucked into my chest. I felt his hot tears soak through the material of my dress.

We ran through the yard, and opened the door quickly. I had made an hour walk a fifteen minute run.

After we were inside, I ran up the stairs into my room with Benji, and slammed the door shut and locked it, almost sobbing. I heard concerned footsteps hurry to my door. There was knocking and knocking, and more knocking. I would not open the door.

"Mel, Benji, are you two alright? What happened out there, please tell me," Drew begged from the other side of the door. The maid also begged to know what was going on, and offered her help. I refused.

Benji curled into me, crying, until he fell asleep.

I laid my head on the pillow. And one question resonated on my mind. What the hell had just happened?


	4. Chapter 3: Sentry

**Chapter 3**: Sentry

I woke up later that night, finding Benji still curled into me, but not asleep. I sighed, and stroked his hair. My mind slowly became more aware, and things from earlier today flooded my memory, causing me to shudder.

"Mel… why did that man want to kill us? I don't understand."

I continued stroking his hair, thinking of what to say to him.

"There are good people, like you and I, out there and there are bad people like that man out there. We ran into a bad person, and this happens from time to time."

He nodded, but still seemed frustrated.

"I know Mel, but that's not exactly what I meant. I mean, was there something mentally wrong with that man? He was in hysterics, and he didn't even know who we were. We were taking a walk on our property. He shouldn't have even been there, and yet he was very angry when we showed up."

I hugged him closer to me.

"There must be something wrong in his head. But we will never know. We probably won't even see him again."

He smiled.

"Yah, that fox of yours took pretty good care of him don't you think?"

I laughed quietly, kissing Benji's forehead.

"Yes he did… But we need to set some things straight now. We can not go back into that forest again, without Father or Mother, do you understand?"

He nodded, and gulped, looking straight ahead of him.

"Honestly Melly, after that experience, I don't know if I ever want to go back in there."

I smiled and patted his shoulder. Good.

"Now, do you want to go get something to eat? I'll be right down, I just have to change."

He nodded eagerly, back to his normal self, and rushed out of my room downstairs. If he had been in my room with me that whole time, I was sure he would be starving by now. I knew I was.

Leisurely, I got up out of bed, and walked to my window. The moon shone just as brightly as the night before, and I found looking at the moonlit trees more eerie than it used to be. I sighed, and began undressing.

Was there going to be anymore weird encounters in the days to come? It seemed like the dance had completely messed up the normal cycle of my life. I prayed that nothing more would happen.

"Miss Weathers? A letter from your mother has arrived,"

Our maid peeked her head through my door after knocking on it. I smiled and nodded, standing up from the chair in front of my vanity. She continued walking in, and handed it to me with an outstretched arm. She smiled sweetly.

"Thank you Marianne," She nodded, her eyes suddenly concerned.

"Miss Weathers, are you all right? You seem very flush. Is it from the scare a few days ago?"

She touched her hand to my forehead. Her hand was burned against my skin, and I flinched. She appeared appalled.

"You are very warm Miss. You should lie down, and I will bring you something."

I swished that thought away with my hand, looking at the envelope in my other hand distractedly a few times. I then laid my hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, but I actually feel very cold. I feel ice cold, like I was left in a snow drift for a couple days."

Her expression was still very concerned.

"Please Miss, let me bring you something to help. By the sounds of it, you have a fever. We shouldn't let that get out of control,"

I sighed, and nodded, feeling dizzy as I looked at the envelope again. Marianne guided me by my arm over to my bed. I laid myself down, and she tucked me in. Soon after she had left, I opened the envelope, and a folded piece of paper with my name printed on it in my mother's hand writing slid out.

I opened it quickly, eagerly wanting to know what she had written. I had written a letter to her the day after the scare, explaining the horror story that had gone on. It had been a week since then. I wanted to know what her instructions were, since she was the best at dealing with these types of situations. She was always very precautious, and it really became useful in this kind of situation.

It read:

_Dear Amelia, _

_I am so glad you, Benjamin and everyone else are safe. I am also proud of your protectiveness over your brother. Heaven forbid, you may have not made it out otherwise. You have quite the stamina, but I am sure you are sore from that run now! _

_Anyway, as soon as I got your letter, I took immediate action. I hired a friend of ours to act as a guard of the family. He is strong, intelligent and resilient, and he will be a good man to have around the house while we are gone. _

_And sorry, Amelia, but we have to extend our trip to a month. I am terribly, terribly sorry, and I miss you all so much, but your father and I have important meetings to attend. I feel even sorrier to leave you out there with a crazed man lurking about, but I am sure this new guard will suffice. Actually, I am pretty sure he will be arriving at the house shortly after you get this letter. I told him to hurry over. By the way, I encourage you to take interest in him! He is not hard on the eyes; let me say that for sure. _

_I love you so dearly, and can't wait till this trip is over so I can see you. Bye for now, I will write soon! _

_Love, _

_Mom _

_xox _

_ps: please find a man soon, and I definitely wouldn't mind if it is the guard… _

By the end of the letter, I had a myriad of emotions. For one, I was extremely embarrassed and blushing at my mother's insistence of me trying to find a man, and that man possibly being the guard, or whoever he was. She didn't even give me his name.

Second, I was really disappointed and slightly paranoid that our parents were going to be away for that long. They had never been away for more than two weeks let alone a month. And with a person that was trying to kill us out there… I shuddered, making myself think about something else.

Suddenly a wave of nausea rolled over me, and I wrenched. I laid my head back on the pillow and held my stomach, feeling as if I was about to throw up. Marianne entered the room at that moment, and ran to me, her eyes wide.

"Miss Weathers, you have turned green. Here, drink this,"

She thrust a tea cup into my hands, probably an herbal remedy, and I drank some gratefully. I felt very thirsty all of a sudden. It was a bit scalding as it went down, but I felt a little bit better after I downed it all. Without a drop left, I handed it too Marianne who looked at me kind-heartedly.

"Would you like anything else dear? Would you like me to toast you some bread?"

That idea sounded appealing, and I nodded, relaxing back into bed. My stomach felt a lot better than it had before.

Without warning, Drew ran into my room shortly after Marianne had exited, and bounced onto my bed, her eyes wide, and a wide grin on her face. She looked as if she had just woken up out of bed, her hair all messy.

"Guess what?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I know Drew, I got a letter from mother as well. I know we are getting a guard."

She nodded vigorously, but something else seemed to spark in her eyes. She held up one finger, her face contrary.

"But best of all, he is here. Now. And he, as mother said, is not hard on the eyes at all. He is a shocker."

I was slightly surprised… Mother really was right about the exact time he would arrive here. But I merely rolled my eyes once more at Drew's juvenile affection.

"_David! _David, won't you come in here?" She turned her head to the direction of my door and screeched his name, causing me to cover my ears.

I heard heavier footsteps downstairs as the guard made his way to my room. I sighed. Well, if he was good looking, I hoped at least Drew would get him. I was not in the least bit interested, and I probably would never be.

The footsteps neared my room. And then a man of tall stature, strong muscle tone through his dress shirt, a mess of dark auburn hair, and dark eyes made his way through my door. I tilted my head, trying to get a better look at him from behind Drew. But suddenly I heaved violently, my stomach and chest burning as I was suddenly up and out of bed, running for my window. I threw the windows open, and lurched my head out, throwing up violently.

I could feel Drew's mortified expression as she stared at me, heaving over the balcony. I heard a crack suddenly as someone dropped and broke a china plate. And the next moment Marianne was beside me, rubbing my back, and holding my hair out of the way.

The next thing I knew, I was on the cold ground, barely breathing. And I blacked out.

"_Davie!_" I screamed, waking myself out of a dead sleep. I jumped as I realized I was in new surroundings –my room. I didn't remember what had happened in my dream to make me wake up screaming, but something scary must have happened. Breathing laboriously, I continued to look around, searching for light. The window let in no light, even though it was wide open. The drapes were pulled back –but clouds covered the moon. I shivered, cold as a breeze caressed my arms.

Someone suddenly broke into my room. I screamed again, surprised. Someone lit a candle, and I realized it was the guard. The candle illuminated everything brightly, and I realized he had a handsome face; he had fairly high cheek bones, a beautiful complexion, and a well proportioned face overall. I smiled timidly, blushing.

He stayed where he was, obviously at a loss on what to do.

"Uhh… Hello. I'm Amelia,"

I saw him nod, his expression unchanging. His face was stoic, and hard.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, very uncommon for me, and then I motioned for him to come closer. I wanted to get acquainted, since he would be with us for a month.

He slowly walked forward, looking at me curiously all the while.

"What is your name again? Sorry, I did not catch it that first time," He smiled slightly.

I patted the empty space beside me, and he hesitated before sitting down.

"My name is David Drescher. It is nice to finally meet you, Amelia."

I smiled, looking down and biting my lip as I did so. Embarrassment was my main emotion right now –the first time I had met him, I had thrown up all over the place. What an introduction to remember!

"It's nice to meet you as well."

He raised a brow.

"That's a surprise to hear. The first time you saw me, you threw up everywhere. I didn't think I was that much of an eyesore,"

I bowed my head in apology, my cheeks turning a bright red. He laughed quietly at my embarrassment.

"Speaking of that," He murmured, I felt his hands touch and move my head to the side slightly.

"What?"

He looked disconcerted.

"You must not remember hitting your head off the ledge. Does it still hurt?"

His hand on my cold head was warm, and I melted, my eyes drooping.

"Not really… It doesn't appear that I damaged my brain either," I added jokingly, becoming less aware by the moment.

"Are you sure of that…? Hey, are you okay?"

The last thing I remember was him catching me, and I sighed deeply, warmth enveloping me and dragging me under.

Staring at my full plate of food, I wondered if I could even eat a few forkfuls before I began throwing up again.

There was an eerie silence as no one spoke –there was only the minute sound of people eating, and their forks colliding with their plates.

I pushed my plate away, and looked up to see that Drew had glanced at me. I looked at the guard, narrowing my eyes. He seemed majorly focused on eating, and would not look up for anything.

"Amelia… you should probably eat something. Try to see if you can hold down anything,"

I shook my head. The guard looked up at me then, his eyes almost piercing. He was across the table from me –we were sitting at the heads of the table- but I was still afraid of him even then. It seemed as if he stared into my soul. It gave me chills.

"Amelia, when I arrived here you had a full beautiful figure. Now you are skin and bones, if that. That's not attractive to most men you know… you should try to eat more."

My mouth dropped as I stared at him. I could not believe what he had just said. I didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do, but I did know that I could not sit at this table any longer.

I stood up forcefully, and ran through the house to the back doors.

Almost slamming the door on my way out, I stomped to our picnic table shaded by a few trees in our backyard. Once I got there I sat down on top of it, and wrapped my arms around my legs. This is where I usually held my pity parties, and no one was invited but me. I was rarely in moods like this, and I was in a huff to say the least. I just could not believe it…!

I heard the door softly shut after a few minutes, and luckily I had blown off enough steam to allow Drew into my presence. I still sat with my arms wrapped around my legs, and my chin resting on my knees with a furrowed brow though.

She looked at me, very concerned. I had not eaten very much in the past few days –I kept throwing it back up. I knew she was very worried about this. It was hard to keep anything down, and I was not sure how I was going to survive if I didn't get over this sickness soon. And on top of it all, I was furious. Furious with him.

"Mel… It's okay,"

I shook my head, and she gently rubbed my back, calming me slightly.

I broke down after a minute though.

"Drew! He's been living with us for a week and a bit, and he's barely spoken a word to me since he's been here! And the times he actually has talked to me, he's been downright rude. I don't understand why he doesn't like me,"

I sighed, exasperated. My sickness continued to get worse everyday, and on top of that I had to deal with this rejection. I wasn't used to rejection, and even if I was, there was no reason for his rejection of me. What had I ever done to him?

She patted me on the arm.

"He's basically like that with me as well, Mel. Maybe he will need some time to warm up to you."

I closed my eyes, and leaned over to rest my head on Drew's shoulder. She stroked my hair, concern etched her features.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

I shook my head, the feeling of queasiness returning to me once again.

She held a hand to my forehead, taking my temperature. Her lips pursed in verdict as she looked back down at me.

"If this sickness gets any worse, you know, we will have to call on a doctor."

I nodded, not too enthused about seeing a doctor. But I really wanted to be able to sleep a full night without having to wake up and throw up. My body was suffering as well –my stomach always screamed for food I couldn't hold down, and as a result I had lost a lot of weight, and from lack of sleep I had deep purple bags under my eyes. Maybe that was why I was so repulsive…?

She touched my face softly, closing her eyes.

"I will go talk to him about it. Don't worry darling, we will set things straight."

I nodded, and she stood up. She patted me on the shoulder before she left, and walked back to the house.

And as soon as she disappeared out of sight, I took off, running into the woods. I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew I was acting on impulse.

I held my dress up, avoiding branches and rocks to catch it off of. I didn't know what I was doing, but I felt a lot better.

The forest went by me in a blur as I dodged and jumped obstacles, running aimlessly into the woods. I wondered if Wolfy was okay. I hadn't seen him in awhile, but that does not mean that he had been killed… I hoped.

Finally, out of breath, I collapsed under a fairly large tree, and curled up into a tiny, warm, comfortable ball. This wasn't the smartest idea that I had ever had. The last time I was in here, I had been attacked and nearly killed by an unknown man. In fact, that unknown man still might be on the loose. For that reason, it was a really idiotic idea to run into the woods unprotected and virtually helpless.

But I felt like I needed to be alone, for once. Besides, who would be looking for me anytime soon? I was sure it would take Drew a long time to work up the nerve to talk to that guard. No one would even know where I was.

I sighed, and listened to the deathly quiet forest sounds. It was so calm, and I felt like I could just…

My eyes jerked open as I heard a _hoot hoot _coming from an owl in a nearby tree.

Everything was pitch black, until my eyes adjusted, and then I saw everything in almost perfect night vision. I looked up to see a very faint waxing moon. Clouds mostly covered it.

I groaned, and stretched. Had I really just fallen asleep in the middle of the woods? Where it was very, very dangerous? I shrugged and looked on the bright side. I was still alive. And hey, I had finally gotten some sleep hadn't I?

My body was achy as I stretched myself out and tried to stand up. I had been very cramped, sleeping in that position for over a few hours most likely. I guessed it was most likely around eleven at night. I had left at four.

It was surprisingly not that difficult to find my way back. I could see almost perfectly –the only drawback was that I had run a long way into the woods, and now it would take extra long to walk myself out.

There was no noise as I expected there to be. I wondered to myself where all the animals and bugs were, until I saw the lights glimmering from the house up ahead.

I ran the rest of the way, and burst through the bushes into my backyard. I grinned, and felt better than I had in awhile. That is, until someone came full out running from the backdoor towards me. My face dropped as I saw it was the guard, with a very plain look of fury on his face.

I stopped a few feet away from him, but he advanced closer towards me, until we were a few centimetres apart. His eyes were livid.

"Where were you? You have been missing for nine hours, and you had the whole family worried! I was this close to sending a letter to your mother."

I shrugged and yawned, deciding to not care for his anger. If he was angry, let him be, but I was not about to join the party and react in the same way.

"I had a nap in the forest."

His eyes widened, and I saw his whole body shook. What was his problem?

"You…fell…asleep…in the…" He couldn't finish his sentence, he was spluttering so much.

I attempted to manoeuvre around him to the house, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me so I was facing him. I glared at him. His stare matched my own.

"I thought we had made this clear before. Nobody is to go into the forest until we are absolutely sure that everything is safe. You are not to do this again."

I yanked my arm away from him, rubbing the spot where he had been holding my wrist tightly. I could already see the bruise forming there. I glowered.

"This is my house. I will do whatever damn thing I want to," I hissed.

I could see his hands shaking at his sides, just aching to hit me. But he wouldn't, because he knew what the consequences would be.

I sniffed, and turned around, walking back inside the house. Who gave a damn about what he thought? This was my house, and my rules. And if he could not cooperate with that, I guess he would just have to leave; what a shame.

The guard wasn't around for the next few days, or at least not where I could see him. In a way I had gotten my wish for him to leave. This made me happy, but what made me even happier was the fact that my sickness was clearing up to quite a degree. I could actually fall asleep at night now, and hold down food. I even started to gain some of the weight I lost back.

Closing my eyes, I sighed. I was extremely warm and comfortable. Benji was curled up beside me in my bed, and it was close to ten o'clock at night. But I wasn't tired at all. I felt exceptionally aware of everything that was going on around me.

"_Amelia… Amelia!" _I heard my name suddenly called in a hushed whisper. My head turned sharply to the window. It seemed to be coming from outside, but it was darker than usual outside. Who was calling my name?

Knowing I was idiotic for what I was about to do, I slipped my way out of bed, avoiding waking Benji in the process. Managing this splendidly, since Benji slept like the dead, I tiptoed out of my room and down the stairs. I was thankful for how light I was –I would've woken people up with the creaking of the floorboards as I walked through the house.

As I crept through the kitchen to the back door, I shuddered. The wind swept through the already opened door. Maybe that was what I was hearing… but I was so sure it was an actual voice from outside. I lurked closer to the door. A peek wouldn't matter…

I closed the door softly behind me, and felt the grass between my bare toes as I walked out onto my back yard.

The moon wasn't showing tonight, and an icy breeze swept through the trees, and me. I shivered, due to the fact that I was wearing something hardly appropriate for this weather… It actually wasn't appropriate for anyone to see but myself.

But I pressed onward; no one would see me in this darkness anyway.

_Amelia. _

My head shot to the side, where I saw movement in the trees. My eyes widened. So there actually was someone out here.

It didn't take me as long as it should have to think about whether or not I wanted to risk my life to know who was calling my name. I just ran towards the tree line of the forest.

I heard the swaying branches of the trees… and a little girl giggling faintly in the woods. I strained my eyes to see into the blackness.

Suddenly all the hairs rose on my neck, and I froze. I felt like someone was watching me… and breathing close beside me. That was all I needed to full out run into the forest.

I dodged and jumped over tree branches that I had no idea how I was seeing. All I could think of was that someone was chasing me, and I needed to run. I felt branches scrape against my arms, and I flinched in pain. That momentary distraction caused me to tumble over a rock, and twist my ankle. I heard a crack as my arm landed on a nearby stone.

Someone was circling me. This was the only thing I focused on, and good thing too because I knew there would be lots of pain in the near future.

"Amelia," I heard someone say. My eyes searched the black of the forest, coming up with nothing.

Suddenly, I felt I was being picked up. I didn't know what to think until I was shoved up against a tree, and someone's body pressed against mine. My eyes widened as my mind registered the guard's face… David.

"I thought I told you not to wander into the forest," He growled, his green eyes luminous and soft.

"I'm sorry…" was all I could manage to say. Sweat rolled down my forehead as I noticed how hyperaware I sensed his closeness. I could feel him breathing lightly against my neck, sending goose bumps everywhere.

"No, I should be sorry. I was the one who gave you a scare…" I felt his lips against my throat all of a sudden, and it sent shivers everywhere. I heard him inhale, and exhale erratically. His hands glided down my sides, pressing me to him.

"Oh, how I've missed you…" He closed his eyes, and sighed longingly.

My brows furrowed, momentarily not concerned about what he was doing. Who was he talking about?

His lips travelled up my neck, to my jaw bone, and stopped right before my lips. He looked into my eyes. And I knew who he was –the man who had saved me before.

How hadn't I noticed it? He was built the exact same, had the same eyes… Who wouldn't remember the strength? I felt his muscles tighten as he hugged me into him, like he had when he saved me.

He touched my face softly, looking deeply into my eyes. Now it was my turn to start breathing unsteadily. He leaned in slowly, his eyes seeming to trace my features. I didn't move. I didn't know what to do…

Then I blinked. Stinging had woken me, as my eyes tried to adjust to the bright sunlight bursting through my window. I looked down at my arm to see a few red scratches on my pale arm. And next to me, there was a cat with orange fur and bright green eyes. It purred as I looked at it, and then back at my scratches.

I shivered as I realized that had all been just a dream. I had always scorned myself for my actions in my dreams, but this dream was over the top. How had I thought of the guard in such a way? It was despicable… besides, I hated him anyway. He was no where near as nice to me as he was in the dream. He hadn't even been that nice in the dream anyway for goodness sake!

I sighed, and looked back at the cat. My brows furrowed. Why was there a cat in my bed?


	5. Chapter 4: Afternoon, Scum

**Chapter 4**: Afternoon, Scum

"His name is Charles, and he shall be our cat from now on. I found him outside the house this morning, and he's such a pretty kitty, I thought maybe he could stay here…"

I frowned, looking down at the cat in Benji's lap. It appeared content with itself, its head held up high. It didn't look pretty to me; it looked like a smug cat that would cause trouble around here.

"Mother has allergies remember? She can't stand cats anyway, and neither can I. It scratched me this morning, and woke me up."

Benji frowned now, petting the cat as he looked down at it.

"Mother is not allergic and you know it! You just don't like Charles because he accidentally scratched you…"

My eyes widened.

"Who says he accidentally scratched me! It was intentional, that is for sure. How else would it scratch me –I was asleep all night until it woke me up."

Benji appeared hurt.

"_It _is called Charles, and he is as much a part of this family now as you are." Benji stood up from the lounge chair opposite mine and marched out of the room, clearly upset. I sighed, and leaned back, taking in to mind how infected the scratches were starting to look.

"Amy, where are you?" I heard Drew call from the other room. I made a moaning sound in response, and she walked into the room shortly after that, her face a mix of happiness and concern.

"Did you see that cat Benji brought in here? It looks all gross, and mangy… like a barn animal. It's repulsive,"

I nodded, agreeing with her for sure. She sat on the arm of the chair I was sitting in, and took my hands.

"Guess what? One of those boys that I met at the dance wants to me to meet him in town today. We've been writing to each other for a full two weeks, and he is just splendid! I love him already,"

I rolled my eyes.

"You love too easily Drew,"

She disregarded my remark completely as she stared at my scratches. She frowned.

"What are those from dearest? Don't tell me…"

I nodded in honest humiliation. She let go of my hands all of a sudden, disgusted. She wiped her hands off on her dress and backed away slightly from me.

"My God, the cat has been here a few hours and it already scratched you! That is definitely a reason for you to come into town with me –we can find you a doctor in town to make sure you are alright. You can get some medicine for it as well; it already looks infected."

I rolled my eyes once more. She probably thought it was gross and all, but the main reason she said this was because she wanted me to go with her into town. I nodded, and she bounced up and down, clapping her hands in the process. I could tell she wanted me to do this as well, but she didn't want to touch me at all.

She began to run out of the room, but before she was completely gone, she stopped and looked behind her at me.

"I'm going to go get ready now, since I obviously still haven't changed out of my nightgown. Please talk to the guard for me –it's not that big of a deal Mel, you're already ready to go out, and all you have to say is 'please escort us to and from Fairhaven in our carriage please'. That's all you have to say, so please ask…"

Her voice faded as she dashed up the stairs, leaving me no choice but to ask him since at this point I could not argue. Who was there to argue with when she wasn't there?

I sighed heavily, nervous already as I stood up. The scratches on my arm stung constantly, but when I moved in hurt exponentially more than it already did. Would I even be able to use this arm today?

I made my way to his room … I was surprised I even knew where it was. There were a lot of rooms in this house, but I knew what one he had picked for some reason. It was on the very top level of the house, the fourth floor actually, and it was a tiny cramped room that could only be reached by a little pull down ladder. It was meant to be an attic, but we stored everything in the large basement downstairs, so we converted the attic into a cozy spare bedroom. There were better spare bedrooms on the third floor, where my room was, so I didn't understand really why he chose this room. I just knew that he did, because as I made my way up the ladder and peaked through the opening to the room above me, I saw him sitting on the small bed.

He was gazing at the sun as it rose higher and higher into the sky. I noticed his bed was already made pristinely, unlike my own.

I knocked my hand lightly on the floorboards to get his attention, but it appeared he was already looking at me. I blushed lightly, looking away.

"Sorry to interrupt you…"

He shook his head, his expression virtually emotionless but light as he looked at me. He normally regarded me with a scowl, so this was a step up for me.

"Don't worry, you weren't interrupting anything. Come up here; don't just stay cramped on that ladder." He mumbled, motioning me with his hand to come closer. I thought for a moment, a little puzzled at his friendliness. But as my legs started yelling at me to sit down somewhere, I was forced to climb the rest of the ladder and walk closer to David. I sat on the opposite end of the bed from him, and he smiled lightly. His eyes seemed distracted as he talked to me.

"I'm sorry about snapping on you the other day. I was just worried –if you had have gotten hurt, it would have been on my head for letting you slip out of my sights."

I nodded, understanding. Well an apology was an apology, and I looked over at him, smiling brighter. I reached out my hand to him, and he looked at me questioningly.

"Truce?"

He actually smiled this time, and reached his hand out to shake my outstretched hand.

"Truce."

We let go of each other's hands, and I looked down at my lap. Was he actually going to change now? It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Now I knew that he didn't exactly hate me…

He looked back up at me.

"Well, with that all said and done, what did you originally come up here to ask me?"

I looked back at him, my brows raised.

"How do you know if I just came up here for that?"

He regarded me with surprise, and then let out a laugh. He looked back at me with soft, expectant eyes.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh all right. Well, Drew was wondering if you would escort us to Fairhaven for the day."

A smile slowly spread across his lips.

"Is it only Drew who is wondering that?"

I blinked, and looked back up at him. My face suddenly felt flush, and it obviously was because he laughed once more, and I looked away again.

I reached out my other arm for him, and stood up, motioning him to come with me.

I kept my eyes off him as he stood up, embarrassed.

"All right, let's go… Drew is probably waiting impatiently for us downstairs."

I looked back at him as I heard only silence, and then realized his eyes were roaming my arm, where my scratches were. I tucked my arm to my side, and started to make me way downstairs, him following me closely.

We arrived downstairs quickly, and as I predicted Drew was standing by the door, tapping her foot in impatience.

She frowned at me, and motioned us to hurry up.

"Come on you two! We have to get there soon; Anthony wanted me to meet him in town square at two! It is _one thirty_, and it takes over an hour to get there," She nagged, her voice becoming increasingly angered and annoying.

I only nodded and ran out the door, Drew far ahead of me already getting in the carriage, and the guard following close behind me.

When I got in, I sat next to Drew. It was a tight fit –it wasn't that big of a carriage and was really meant to carry two people and luggage comfortably. It could carry four people, but not so comfortably.

The guard sat in the seat opposite us, and stared out the window as we began our journey. That journey didn't last as long as I had anticipated, because Drew had obviously paid the driver a little extra to make haste. To say the least, it was a bumpy ride. But this was only to be expected when you make it to Fairhaven in a half a hour rather than an hour and a half. The horses certainly hadn't trotted like they usually did.

The sun was high in the sky, and very bright. It was a good thing I hadn't worn anything too heavy today. Once we had stepped out of the carriage into the town square, it was very humid, and I was especially thankful I had worn a pretty white dress that was made of light cotton. It had sleeves, but it was of such thin material it didn't matter. It was a little showy, and practical.

A breeze brushed past my hair and face and I sighed, stretching. Sunlight hit the exposed part of my chest, and I smiled pleasantly. I hadn't felt this good in awhile.

I looked to the side of me, and saw the guard looking at me curiously as I did this. I turned away, my cheeks turning a bright red in embarrassment, and looked for Drew. She was a few feet ahead of me, standing on her tiptoes and holding her hand overtop of her eyes to partially block the sun. She squinted, trying vainly to find the boy she had been talking about.

I peered around at the driver, who sat with his head rested in his hand. He had a 'I really do not feel like being here' kind of look on his aging face, so I sighed and walked back up to the carriage. I stood up as far as I could to talk to him, who was on top of the carriage.

"You can go wherever you want for an hour and a half. Meet us back here then, and we'll tell you what we're going to do next."

He seemed surprised for a moment, but then he nodded and smiled, seeming more pleased than he was before. He tipped his hat to me before he called to the horses to move.

Drew didn't even notice as she kept her eyes trained on the people in the streets. As soon as the carriage pulled out of sight, the guard walked up beside me, his expression questioning.

"What did you do that for? Aren't we going to need him in a few minutes?"

I shook my head, smiling at his naiveté.

"We will be here for awhile, don't you worry. Either walking around, or staying right here, it doesn't matter; we won't be leaving for awhile."

He sighed, nodding.

And it seemed as soon as he did this, a man ran out of the crowd from behind us, and tackled Drew with a hug.

At first she screeched, and the guard took a hesitant step forward. But then Drew turned around, and squealed. She started laughing hysterically as she recognized who it was.

"Anthony, you made it!" She squealed. He picked her up in the air and spun her around once before setting her down again. I don't think I had ever seen Drew happier… well maybe there were a few other choice times where she had a slightly more hyper reaction than this, but still, she was pretty happy. I smiled lightly.

The boy seemed pretty happy as well –he had a wide smile on his fair face. He also had long, shaggy black hair, and was well built. I assessed him up and down, and didn't really see anything wrong with him. He looked nice enough… He had a soft look in his eyes as he stared at Drew. I guess I would just have to get to know him a little better to see if he was a good man for my sister.

I walked up to them, the guard following close behind me, and smiled at Anthony.

"Hello, I am Amelia Weathers… Drew's sister. It's nice to meet you Anthony…?"

I held out my hand for him to shake, and he shook it firmly. I didn't believe in the kiss on the hand greeting that was most common these days.

"Hello Amelia. I'm Anthony Michaels."

My eyes widened in surprise.

"So are you Sarah's older brother?" He nodded, surprise and delight also lighting his expression.

"Oh, I remember you actually –you're her best friend. Sarah talks about you all the time!"

I smiled; I was already convinced that this man was good. If he was Sarah's brother, then he was a good man. If he wasn't good, Sarah was sure to slap him into shape. She always looked out for our family, so she would also look out for Drew's well being. Sarah would stand up to him even if he were her older brother. She and I were eighteen, so he must be nineteen. That was not such a bad age difference for Drew…

Drew was smiling, seeming almost goo goo over Anthony, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, Drucilla, what's the plan?"

She looked back to me in shock. She hated her name, and that was why we all called her Drew… but I thought I would tease her just a bit. It wouldn't hurt their relationship to see her get riled up.

She scowled at me then, and crossed her arms. Anthony chuckled lightly as she answered my question.

"I wanted some quality time with him… I think we might walk to the park."

He nodded eagerly, looking over her lovingly. I bit my lip, hesitant. I wasn't so sure I wanted to leave my sixteen-year-old sister with a nineteen-year-old boy that I didn't know that well. True, I knew he was probably a nice boy, but I still would not trust him completely on this assumption. I would not leave room for errors here.

"How about this, Drew? The guard will walk with you and Anthony, and I will walk to a medicine shop. I need something for these scratches,"

They looked like they were slightly green now, and Anthony's face appeared sympathetic as he looked at my arm. Drew whined.

"Oh, Mel, stop being so protective! I am sixteen and can manage on my own."

I shook my head, pursing my lips.

"Maybe next time, but right now, walk wherever you wish. The guard doesn't have to hang out with you,"

I looked to him as I said this. He had a weird look on his face as I said it.

"After I come back, which will be an hour at the most, we can go shopping. I'll leave thirty five minutes at the end of the day for you two to be alone."

Drew's expression dropped, accepting the time I allowed her, and she sighed. I could tell Anthony understood why I restricted their time together –he had probably done this with his own sister at some point. He had an understanding expression on his face, and I could tell he was happy with any time he got to spend with my sister. I smiled. Sarah probably hadn't liked the restrictions Anthony had given her one bit.

I turned to leave, trying to remember the route to a medicine shop I had seen on my last shopping trip here over a year ago, but suddenly someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. It wasn't Drew –she was already walking away with Anthony towards a café. I looked, jostled, into the face of the guard. He had that same, upset, weird look on his face.

"You know, 'the guard' does have a name."

I flinched, suddenly feeling guilty. Had I really been calling him that this whole time? I felt like a spoiled rotten jerk.

My eyes widened, and laid my hand on his shoulder. He recoiled at my touch.

"I'm sorry David. I didn't realize I was doing it,"

He smiled lightly, seeming a little better. But I could tell there was something else he wanted to say.

"Should you really be walking alone, by yourself out in these streets? Something could happen."

One half of my mouth rose as I thought. I frowned, not seeing anything wrong with it.

"I am eighteen, and can walk the streets alright by myself, I think."

His anxious expression did not fade as I said this.

"Can I go with you at least? I know you don't want to leave your sister alone with this new man, but I am sure she would be safer with just him than you would be by yourself. You know how many unstable people are out there; one of them tried to attack you a few weeks ago."

I shook my head, smiling.

"If it really bothers you that much, I would suggest that you all come with me. _But_ I know Drew doesn't want to be dragged to a disgusting medicine shop, and she wants her quality time with her new boyfriend. Don't worry; I am sure I will be fine by myself. For your sake, I will hurry myself there and back, alright?"

I knew his concern was only due to his job, but it wasn't that big of a deal. I was sure Mother would also side with me on this one; I had acted like her this whole time, mediating the time Drew spent with her boyfriend, and planning what we would do at certain times. I was pretty sure I knew what she would think of me going out by myself, and about this entire trip in general. As long as I followed the 'what would mother do' rule I was alright.

I waved goodbye as I began walking away, looking behind me. David stared after me, his eyes empty, and his face desolate. It appeared he looked after me till I disappeared from sight.

As I walked further away from the town square, the streets became more and more deserted. Only a few people walked by, in the opposite direction I was walking. It didn't faze me though… of course everyone would convene in the town square on such a beautiful, bright afternoon.

I remembered the way almost perfectly, actually. It was only at one point that I had to stop a nice woman and ask her where the medicine shop was. I was actually really close to it when I had asked her –it was the street over from the one I had stopped her on.

As soon as I saw the wooden sign swaying in the breeze, saying '_Thomas and Son's Medicines_', I ran for it. I supposed I should actually live up to my word and make this a quick trip for David's sake.

Through the display windows, I saw many various jars with living and or dead things floating inside them. This always turned my stomach when I saw it, but I proceeded anyway. I needed something for these scratches –they were starting to swell.

I walked into the shop, peering hesitantly into the bottles and jars of various floating and preserved goods. One jar looked like it had a floating baby pig in a green liquid in it…

I shook my head, and shuddered, walking across the dark creaky floorboards and up to the counter where a scraggly old man sat, his head buried into a newspaper. His wispy white hair was unkempt and messy. His clothes weren't in that great shape either –he wore a pinstriped dress shirt with a dirty white smock over it. His small round glasses were cracked as well. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to respond to my presence. He held up one finger suddenly, and a few seconds later he smiled and looked up at me. He had a few teeth missing, I realized, as I looked at his mouth.

"Uhh, I was wondering if you had any type of cream or medicines for these scratches,"

I tried my best not to mumble as he stared at me. Mumbling and being uncomfortable in general was not like me at all, but this man's stare at me was definitely making me uncomfortable. He looked at me as if something terrifying had dawned on him. Maybe there was something wrong in his head…

He smiled at me a moment later, all traces of fright gone.

"It merely looks like an infected animal scratch. I know just the thing…"

He stood up, losing height as he got down from his stool, and walked to a curtain that obviously led to either the back of the store or a storage room. He was hunched as he muddled his way through the thick dark red velvet curtain. I stood there, tapping my finger against the counter. I wanted to get out of here and back to Drew, and David, as soon as possible. I knew I had left David there to protect her, but I didn't feel like that was enough. I obviously did not completely trust Anthony upon meeting him for the first time, and knowing who he was…

I sighed as I finally heard the shop keeper's returning footsteps.

"Now, how long do I need to keep taking the medicine? I am not planning any trips back to town soon-"

I was cut short by the sight of the shop keeper emerging from the curtain with a loaded rifle. My eyes widened, and I held up my hands. He pointed it directly at me, his hands quivering.

"You're complete scum!" He shouted, and I flinched, causing him to move forward and point the gun more fiercely at me.

"P-Please, I didn't mean to hurt you or anything of the sort, I swear,"

I truly hadn't done anything to this man… And I didn't understand why he thought this. It was no reason to point a gun at a defenceless woman anyway. Did I remind him of someone who had done something to him?

His eyes widened and then narrowed. He walked out from behind the counter, and I saw that his legs were twisted at odd angles. He walked dementedly, something I had not noticed before.

"Just look at me! Don't tell me you didn't do anything, and don't tell my dead father that either!" He roared; his face was pained.

My voice was barely a whisper now. I had never killed anyone in my life.

"I never did those things, I swear… I don't know what you're talking about,"

This seemed to set something off. Good going for me and my big mouth.

He shot, and barely missed me. The bullet scraped by my rib cage, and merely tore through my clothes and left a flesh wound. Blood trickled, then flowed out onto my dress and dripped onto the floor. Bottles exploded behind me.

I inhaled sharply, pain enveloping me. What would Mother do? I think she would run for dear life.

I sprinted for the door. I had to react fast; I had no time to stick around and say hello to the barrel of his gun.

The door wasn't that far because I had been edging for it the whole entire time, but still he missed me again by an inch. More glass bottles around me exploded, and presumably preservatives splashed on me.

I took off into the street, sprinting at full speed, and ran down the first alleyway that I came to. I ran down the long expanse of it and ran even faster as I heard more shots being fired and footsteps behind me.

But suddenly my heart dropped down through my throat and into my stomach. I was in an alley, with a dead end. There were garbage tins in front of me, but not enough to hide in or behind. There were no doors I could run in, or an escape ladder I could climb up. I was literally trapped.

I turned around to see the old man hobbling towards me, his gun still raised and armed. He was in shooting range now.

I wrapped my arms around myself, and closed my eyes tightly, hot tears running down my face. This was it. I sunk to my knees and let tears roll freely down my face.

When the old man reached me, he kicked me over with surprising and horrible strength, and then got down on the ground where I was now sprawled out. He punched me in the face, and then spit on where he punched me. The metal of the end of the gun was grinded up against my scalp, and I bit my lip in pain as I felt the hot liquid ooze from the wound. I smelled blood all around me.

"You are a vile, filthy creature. I vow that I will kill you even if it takes me to my final breath. You are an abomination, and you will die!"

The gun shook where he held it against my head. I cried. How could it end like this?

"_Abomi_-" His words were cut short as I felt him disappear from where he had been sitting over top of me. The gun was also not being forced into my scalp, but I still squeezed my eyes shut and held my head down. Tears still streamed from my eyes.

I heard the old man scream; it was a hoarse, guttural sound. A few hard punching and cracking noises I heard was probably evidence of why the man was screaming. And then all of a sudden, there was silence. It had all been over in a few seconds.

I opened my eyes. Shock registered in my mind as I saw… David.

He was standing over the old man's body, his expression sullen. The old man's face had been beaten to a pulp, all purple, red and oozing. His face appeared to be beaten in, and the rest of his body didn't look all that right either. Blood was everywhere.

David regarded the other man in disgust, and then looked over at me, his eyes suddenly concerned.

He ran then, and got on his knees next to my own battered body. And the next thing I knew he picked me up so I was sitting, and wrapped his arms tightly around me. He buried his face in my neck, and made a distressed noise. I broke down then, unable to control myself. I sobbed, burying my face in his hard chest. I listened to the sound of his strong heartbeat as I cried, and his arms remained securely around me.

"Davie," I whimpered, feeling helpless. I felt my arms slipping from where they were on his back, trying to keep myself up; I barely recognized he was actually doing this for me.

The only thing I could feel right now was pain. All I wanted was for him to do exactly what he was doing now.

I saw his eyes widen, and the last thing I remembered was looking into his terrified, blood spattered face before I fainted.


End file.
